Sitting Too Much + Not Enough Sleep Linked To Early Death

There has been a high focus recently on how sitting too many hours each day has been linked to premature death. However a recent study shows how this combined with a lack of sleep has an even higher correlation.

Negative Factors in Focus

The different factors being studied included:

Smoking

Excessive Drinking

Poor Diet

Too Little Exercise

Sitting At Least 7 Hours Each Day

Too Little Sleep

What was interesting was that combining several factors together correlated much higher to sudden death than others.

Karen Kaplan from the LA Times points out:

Some combinations were more deadly than others, the researchers found. Those who blended insufficient exercise with prolonged sitting were 2.42 times more likely to die during the study, and those who were also guilty of sleeping for too many hours were 4.23 times more likely die by the time the study ended.

The synergistic effect of these negative factors on premature death is not to be taken lightly. By decreasing one or more of these factors you may be able to reduce your chances of early death.

The study focused on the dangers of too little sleep as well as too much. There is often too little focus placed on the consequences of getting too much sleep.

Although causation isn't established in the study, the correlation is worth taking notice of. I explore the synergistic effect of negatives in my book on sleep. In particular, these exact same factors also decrease the quality and quantity of sleep. By improving your overall life style, you will often find that your sleep also improves. If this link established in the study has causation as well, you may end up saving your life as a result of these changes.